Fbawcis m



Patented Jan. 35d,

GFFICE.

VAPOR BOX 0R STILL FOR :DISTILLATION SYSTEMS.

Original application filed May 8, 1919, Serial No. 295,527. Divided and this application iled February T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, FRANCIS M. Huss, a citizen of the United States, residing at lllhiting, in the county oli Lake and State oi' Indiana, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Vapor Boxes or Stills for Distillation Systems, of which the following;` is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for effecting the continuous distillation of hydrocarbon material such as coal tar and petroleum and their distillates; and has reference more particularly to an improved structure ot vapor box or still adapted to the use of superheated steam 'or any other gas ecus heating agent as a heating medium.

The present application constitutes a division oi? an application heretoiore liled by me on the 8th day ol May, 1919, Serial No. 295,527, method of and amiaratus 'tor effecting4 continuous distillation.

One ol )ject of the invention is to provide a vapor box or still wherein the material treated may `dow in a broad thin stream successively over a series ol heated plates forming the walls oi a conduit within the vapor box or still so as to be uniformly subjected to the heat ot the heating` medium 'llowing through said zigzag plates which are made hollow for that purpose. Another object is to provide a construction ot vapor box or still such that the entire structure may be easily disassembled for cleaningand repairs whenever necessary. A further object is to provide a construction wherein the flow olf the material through the vapor box or still shall be continuous and without interruption whereby to avoid carbon deposits in the bottom of the box.

A further object is to provide a'construe tion of vapor box or still excellently adapted 'For use in a 'fractional distillation :.*lf'stem euiployiup` a. plurality ojlvstills so grouped to provide for continuous gravity flow of the material from the top member to the lower members ot the series.

lilith these and otherl objects in view which will be apparent trom the it'ollowinp,` detailed description, my. invention consists ol' the improved vapor box or stillsubstantially as hereinafter described and illustrated in a practical 'form in the accompanying drawings, in which r Fig.` 1 is a vertical section through the vapor bor.;

sei-m1 No. 445,619.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the oil'- set line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation partly in longitudinal vertical section, of the over- :dow trough ot the vapor box; and

lFig. l shows a modified form of heating; plate. y

' Referring to the drawing, the improved vapor box comprises an outer rectangular box-like housing or casing, consisting of stationary top and bottom walls 5 and 6, stationary opposed side walls 7, and laterally removable opposed side walls 8 which are normally united to the side walls 7 by angle bars 9 and bolts 10. Within this casinp; or housing,- isla zigzag conduit for the flow of the material to be distilled through the vapor box. This conduit is made up of hollow liat inclined plates or walls 11 -and 12 that are connected .at their proximate ends by curved walls 11 and 12 respectively, of the same hollow formation. luach complete series of walls 11 and 12 is ot zig/laag; or tilt-form. the two series being' internested, and the zigzag; conduit for the flow of the material to be distilled bein between them. These walls may be celular castings as indicated in Fig. 2, or, as in dicated n Fig. 4, they ma consist of steel plates 13 united at interva s by rivets 14 so as to provide a structure capable of resist ingr the maximum internal pressure of the superheated steam flowing therethrough.

The lower and upper walls 12 extend through one of the side walls 8 and are coupled to supply and delivery connections 15 and 1G, and the lower and upper walls 11 likewise extend through the opposite side wall. 8 and are coupled to similarly supply and deliveryvconnections 17 and 18. Where a, plurality oit vapor boxes are connected up inserics, the connections 15 and 17 will lead trom the next lower 4vapor box, and connections 16 and 18 will lead to next higher vapor box of the group.

The walls .-1 and 12 within the housing are supported on vertical frame structures 19 and 20, respectively, at each side, the two pairs ol? lj'rames being` connected by tie-rods 2l on which the inclined walls 11 and 12 rest.I as clearly shown in Fig. 1. On the lower ends of the trames 19 and 20 are wheels 22 traveling on a pair of rails 23 forming a tracloway. At one upper corner of the housing is an overflow trough 24 (Fig. 3) preferably formed with a serrated upper edge .24 on its front wall to distribute the material,

into uliich trough the material is first in-A trmluced through a pipe 25 and `from which it overflows onto the broad inclined top wall or plate 1l of the conduit, dropping from the end of the latter onto the topmost wall :'27 flowing in a broad, wide stream down and oil' the lower end of the latter onto the next wall ll, and so on to the bottom of the vapor box; being discharged from 4the bottom wall 6 of the latter, through a pipe 26 into the next vapor box of the series, either directly, or, as shown in my former application hereabove referred to, through a residuum heated heat exchanger, or, in the case of the lowermost vapor box of the Series, directly into a residuumvtank or receiver. Superheated steam fio'ws counter-current throu h these hollow walls, thereby rapidly and e ectively heating the material and releasing vthe vapors as soon as 'the vaporizing temperatures of the latter are reached in the course of the material. Where a vertically arranged series of vapor boxes are employed ina ractional distillationsystem, the topmost va or box is the coolest of the series and the 'owermostfvapor box is the hottest, so, that the most easily formed vapors pass ,off from the topmOSt vapor box, while those forming ,at higher temperatures are discharged from the lower vapor boxes.

'Whenever it becomes necessary to disassemble one of the vapor boxes, this is very easily vdoneby removing vone series of the boltsIOt the corners of the structure so as to disconnect Nthe side walls from the side i wglls 7 and then drawingthe side walls 8 with the conduit Walls -and 'their supports laterally apart on the track 23.

As hereinbefore stated the heating element preferably used herein is superheated steam. This a'ords a gaseous heating medim that is easy to regulate to any desirable temperature; it is also positive in its action; `its temperature can be varied on short notice; it heats the liquid 'in all parts of the vapor box uniformly, and no hotter than desired; it can be operated at any desired pressure; and by running the superheated steam vcounter-current to the flow of the liquid through the vapor box the liquid is constantly increasing in temperature; and. in a multiple still system, by `running the heating medium upwardly fromy vapor bOX to vapor box in a direction opposite to the fiow'of the liquid, the latter is heated in desirable successive steps.

The described construction of still or vapor boxfafords the'following advantages. The material heated is kept constantly in motion and flows by its own gravity in a downward course from ,top to bottom of the vapor box-thus aflordn' `a constant pressure. In lii'owing in a road thin 'stream over the heating plates of the zigzag conduit it is most advantageously and uniformly subjected to the heat ol the heating medium, and vin falling I'roin plate to plate it is successively atomized to release vapors. Since the liquid flows entirely out of direct contact with the heating medium itself, there is no admixture of Steam with the vapors given oil' by the material. There is ample space between the edges of the plates and the Walls of the casing or housing to allow the vapors to immediately rise and pass off through the vapor line, the vapors escaping from the vapor box through an outlet pipe 28 and passing thence to a suitable condenser. The construction of the vapor box is such that the entire structure may be disassembled for repairs and cleaning when necessary with a minimum of time and labor. Furthermore, with the described construction, of vapor box, and the material kept constantly in motion, the nuisance of carbon deposits in the bottom is eliminated. It is also noted that the described vapor-box or still is adapted to be operated with the vapors coming from the vapor-box under the pressure caused by the gravity of the material; it may be operated with a partial vacuum in the vapor line; or it may be operated with a pressure greater than that caused by the gravity of the material.

I claim: f

l. In a distilling apparatus, a vapor-box comprising a casing having top and bottom openings for the introduction and discharge respectively of the crude material and a series of alternately arranged oppositely inclined broad flat imperforate heating plates extending crosswise of said casing and providing a zigzag path of flow for the crude material, said plates being hollow to permit the flow of a heating agent therethrough.

2. In a distilling apparatus, a vapor-box comprising a casing having top and bottom openings for the introduction and discharge respectively of the crude material, and a continuous zigzag conduit for the How of the crude material occupying approximately the full cross-sectional area of said casing, the walls of saidconduit being hollow to permit the'iiow of a heating agent therethrough.

3. In a distilling apparatus, a vapor-box comprising a casing having top and bottom openings for the introduction and discharge respectively of the crude material. and a continuous zigzag conduit formed with wide fiat imperforate top and bottom Walls oc. cupying approximately the full width of said casing, the said top and bottom walls of said conduit being hollow to permit the flow of a heating agent therethrough.

4. In a distilling apparatus, a vapor-box comprising a casing having top and bottom openings for the introduction and discharge respectively of the crude material and a .pair

of oppositely disposed removable side Walls, and two groupsof inclined broad flat heat ing platos attached. to the removable sides of said casing and extending` erossivise of the latter and together providing av zigzag path of tl'ovv for the crude ,materiah said heating plates being hollow to permit the low of a heatingagent.

5. In a distilling apparatus7 a vapor-box comprising a casing having top and bottom openings for the introduction and discharge respectively of the crude material and a pair of oppositely disposedv removable side Walls,

'two groups of `inclined broad vHat heatil'lpY plates attached to the removable sides ot' said casing and extending crossvvise of the latter and together providing a zigzag; path of flow for the Crude material, said heating plates being hollow to permit the How of a heating agent therethrough, intermediate supports for said groups of heating plates, respectively, and a t1'acl{-way on which said removable side Walls and intermediate supports are mounted.

FRANCIS M. HESS. 

